Damage to the forest is not set down in any document

30-05-2008 12:48:06 – KarabakhOpen

The head of the government agency for environment and natural resources
Garik Grigoryan said in an interview with the Azat Artsakh that the
forest was logged both during and after the war.

`The damage inflicted on the forest is not found in any document. In
those years the government made some efforts to coordinate the logging.
However, the forests logged during the war were restored naturally.
Most forests need reproduction. Unfortunately, in many places the
amount of valuable kinds of trees has decreased. From 2008 the
government assigns funds for the reproduction of the forest,’ said
Garik Grigoryan.

During the checking in 2007 28 breaches were revealed, which caused
damage of 20,163,930 millions drams. The amount of fines was 712,760
drams. 9 people were fined, 4 cases went for trial, 9 are investigated
by the police and 9 by the Office of Prosecutor General.

In 2008 16 breaches were revealed, 2 cases went for trial, 2 are
investigated by the police. The amount of damage is 1,828,222 drams,
602,222 drams returned to the state budget.

The official explains that there is illegal logging because although
the Forestry Code was adopted in 1996, it was not applied by the
relevant agency or loggers, Garik Grigoryan confessed.

Besides, in 2006 a new Forestry Code was adopted.